“Can’t you even imagine you’re in the depths of despair?” Anne (of Green Gables) asked. “No I cannot,” was the reply. “To despair is to turn your back on God.”

Although I see Mirilla’s point, I don’t entirely agree. The Lord God understands all of our human frailty and our pain, even when we slip into the “depths of despair”  and I am very grateful that he does. Even though I am a person of faith, I felt pretty far down in those depths recently, because the last month has been an extremely difficult one; filled with an overwhelming amount of emotional pain.

Thankfully, the Lord never forsakes us in our time of need. While I sat in the therapeutic massage chair at my chiropractor’s office, feeling the wonderful relief of muscles relaxing, I enjoyed the soothing instrumental music. Aside from the sweet presence of the Lord, I was alone in the room at the time and therefore felt comfortable quietly singing the lyrics  to myself:

“… My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

Very gently, the Lord spoke to my heart and reminded me to nail my burdens to the cross and bear them no more. As a Christian, I know to do that, but sometimes, I get so distracted with pain and such, I simply don’t relax in the promises of the Lord; promises for peace and comfort. Can you relate?

Today, I am reminded of the thirtieth chapter of I Samuel. When King David and his men returned to their city and found it burned, and all the women [and children] carried away captive, David was “greatly distressed” yet he “encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”

Dear reader, we are only human; we will experience pain, and sometimes we might even feel that we are in the “depths of despair.” Surely, the apostle Paul felt this way at times, but he too encouraged himself in the Lord. I’m sure he never denied feeling despair, but he boldly denied its right to remain. We can certainly learn from his example. He encouraged others by reminding them, as I now remind you:

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

<< To read the incredible account of  why   “It is Well with my Soul”  was written,  click here: IN THE MIDST OF PAIN, GOD! >>

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